During a visit to the construction site of the Bellara steel complex in Jijel, Algeria of the Algerian-Qatari joint venture Algerian Qatari Steel (AQS), Algerian industry and mines minister Abdeslam Bouchouareb stated that, with the launch of the steel complex, Algeria will attain self-sufficiency in the steel industry and reduce it dependency on imports, as reported by media sources.
According to Mr. Bouchouareb, the Bellara steel complex will partially start operations in May 2018 and in the first phase it will produce two million mt of steel per year and will increase its production to 4 million mt in the second phase.